Return to My Cozy Posts: What's Cookin' Monday!

Good morning to all of my dear friends in the "Land of Blog"! I am going to try my level BEST to return to my regular posts here. I truly do miss getting on here and posting, I am still kind of having a bit of trouble getting words to come. I am afraid part of me is still clinging to my little "safe~shell" but I trying to bust out of there and get back to my normal writing activities. I think my blogging will do me a world of good! I miss posting recipes and decorating ideas and such. I thought I would start with my easiest post of the week: What's Cookin' Monday! I thought and thought and then I remembered a really YUMMY recipe that I had posted about this time last year over on my former Cozy Home Journal blog. It was a really easy crock pot version of one of my favorite Chinese dishes. I don't know if you could cook it in your Celebrating Home Bean Pot, but it would be worth a try! Just remember, in your Bean Pot, you will just need to layer ALL of the ingredients before baking and you will not need to stop cooking to stir. Set the oven to 325 degrees and bake for 3 hours. You can bake your frozen eggrolls in the oven right along with your Bean Pot dish during the last half-hour of baking. Either way, Bean Pot or Crock Pot, this is a really tasty dinner!


What's Cookin' Monday!

Crock Pot Chicken Chow Mein

4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

1 Large Onion sliced in thin wedges

2Tbs Oil (your favorite) though peanut or

sesame are the traditional asian favorites

2 Cups chicken broth

2Tbs Soy Sauce

1 Rounded Tbs Corn Starch

1 12 oz Package Frozen Stir Fry Vegetables

1 can Sliced Mushrooms

1 can Sliced Water Chestnuts

First, cut the chicken breasts into thin slices and the onions into thin wedges and place both in the crock pot with the oil. Season to taste with ground pepper and garlic powder (or you can use minced garlic, if you prefer. Cook the ingredients on the highest setting for about an hour or until the chicken is cooked through. You will want to stir them at least once during their cooking. Next, pour the mixture of the chicken broth, soy sauce and corn starch over the chicken and onions and stir. Add the bag of frozen veggies, water chestnuts and the mushrooms and stir them together. Cover the crock pot and reduce to the medium setting and cook until the sauce thickens and is clear (about 2-3 hours). Serve with rice and frozen egg rolls if you wish.

I would love to see "What’s Cookin’" at your house, too. Hope this inspires you!!!

Big ((HUGS)) and Stay Cozy,
Charlotte

The Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY: January 12, 2011

Outside my window...
Snow is falling. It looks like our town is being sprinkled with powdered sugar.
I am thinking...
Of all that has changed in my life over the past few months. My sweet kitty, Zoot, became ill in late October and we finally had to say good-bye to her the second week of November. She was 10 years old. My dear cousin lost her husband in November, he was a very dear part of our family. My sweet daddy passed on to be with the Lord on December the 8th after coming to our house with Hospice Care just one week before. We had many wonderful conversations during that week and family members were in and out visiting with him here. He said it was so peaceful at my house. God bless him. I miss my daddy. My brother lost a son and a daughter due to Mitochondrial complications, one in July and one just this past week. His son was 19 and his daughter was 24. It has been a very trying time for us. I have complete faith that each of these dear ones has gone home to be with our Lord, but we are missing them being here with us. I am praying that the coming year will be blessed with good health for all of my family members. I am praising my Lord for his tender mercies and for staying closer than a brother to us all during this season!!!
I am thankful for...
My Lord and Savior who lifts me up when I would surely fall without Him! I am thankful for my dear husband and my family which are gifts from God around me! I am thankful for my warm, cozy, sweet home and all of the bountiful blessings my Father in Heaven bestows upon me each and every day!!!
from the learning rooms...We are studying WV History, reading October Sky, polishing our algebra skills and enjoying Art Day on Fridays. We have been working on a new schedule and I am really pleased with the way it is working for us. I will be blogging more about our Homeschool Days over at my HS blog: Cozy Home Academy
from the kitchen...
Breakfast: Cream of Wheat
Lunch: Tomato soup and sandwiches
Supper: Pork Roast with Veggies
I am wearing...
Pretty new pajamas that my mom bought me for my birthday (December 14th)
I am creating...
A home filled with love and joy; a place where my friends and family love to gather in.
I am going...
to stay here where it is warm today and try to make it out to mid-week service at our church this evening.
I am reading...
The book of 2 Peter in the Bible, Lord Let Me Love, a collection of poems and prose by Marjorie Holmes (1978 Doubleday) and Home Education by Charlotte M. Mason. I just love to read it again, every now and then, in case I forgot something important.
I am hoping...
to start back to my regular blog posts this week and I am praying for my decorating business and online business to increase this coming year. We are in such bad need of a new van or car. Our good old girl (1998 Ford Windstar) is really starting to show her age. I am also hoping to lose some weight this coming year so that I can have more energy. My goal is to lose 50 pounds. I know that is a lot, but if you are going to dream, dream BIG.
I am hearing...
the sweet soft sounds of morning: traffic up on the interstate, our warm furnace kicking on, my good old computer humming away~all so sweet to my ears.
Around the house...
my husband and dear son are beginning to stir upstairs. The house will soon be alive with our busy scuffling about in the kitchen as we begin our day.
One of my favorite things...
A warm cup of good tea on a cold winter's day!
A few plans for the rest of the week:
Housework, cleaning out the upstairs bedrooms (they have become clutter collectors~oops), creating a new wreath for our front door, blog on my Homeschool blog.
Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

My sweet hubby and son having some fun in the snow!

I pray that each of you will have a Blessed week!!!! A special thank you to Peggy for hosting this Daybook!



Happy New Year, New Beginnings

Hello dear friends. I was just blog browsing and decided to stop by the old blog and put up a small post. I wanted to take time to wish everyone a Happy New Year (it is still early) and hope that all of you had a wonderful and blessed Christmas this past year. I am still not really ready to write a post about all of the changes that happened around the old Cozy Home in the past few months. I tend to grow quiet when I am faced with adversity and changes. Just one of my little character quirks, I guess. I am the kind of person that holds onto events in my heart and will mull things over until I am able to talk about them. I promise to write something soon as I am working on sorting all the events out in my mind. My dear hubby, our little Caleb and myself are all doing well and ready to begin a new year with our focus on finding God's direction for our days. I will try to post more in the next couple of days.

Hugs to all and Stay Cozy,
Charlotte